What Have I Done Now?
by Dragonblooded
Summary: For some unknown reason, the Shredder is after an innocent Russian girl from Ohio. She may escape from his grasp with a little more than a few battle scars, but that doesn't mean its over. So she's enlisted the help of a few new friends to figure out this mystery, and they know Shredder like the back of their three-fingered hands.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic, so if it's bad please tell me. This is based off the 2012-2013 TMNT series, but it could probably pass for any of them. Also, for anyone who's curious, the main character's name, Tsarina (pronounced zah-reen-ah) Volkov, translates from Russian to "empress wolf"**

I stepped into the house, locked the door behind me, and dropped my book bag on the couch. "Yes!" I shouted, "School's out!" "And I get to spend the first two hours of it home alone!" I silently added, smiling. Mere moments later, I was chilling in the armchair with a salami sandwich and a ginger ale, channel surfing. "This is the life." I said happily.

Just as I had found a good show, I heard wheels rumbling down my gravel driveway. "Dang it! Is Mom home already?" I grumbled, "I better hide this food." I threw the sandwich crusts and soda can in the trash and dusted the crumbs off the chair and my hands. I peered through the window, but was surprised to see not my Mom's silver sedan, but a large black van with a red foot painted on the side. Curious, I unbolted the door and walked up to the three men who got out of the car.

They were cloaked in all black adorned with red foot symbols, like their car. A voice from the back of my head whispered to me, "The Foot Clan." They were lean and lanky and kind of scary, what with their big red bug eye things. "C-can I h-h-help you?" I stuttered nervously. I felt like a dork, but I couldn't help it. These people were giving me the creeps! They looked to each other, before one said monotonously "Tsarina Volkov?" "Yeah." I said, "Why?" Once again, the people looked to each other and nodded. Then I was quickly picked up and shackled into the back of the black van. I was really beginning to despise the color black. The jingling of chains and locks rang from somewhere I couldn't see them, and then everything went dark as the door banged shut.


	2. Chapter 2

** Sorry for the short first chapter, I was really eager to post something. This one will be longer.**

We drove along for hours on end. Well, I shouldn't say we. The creepy red-foot men drove and I uncomfortably rode in the back, being jostled at every little bump, slammed into the walls at every turn, and adding another bruise to the collection I'm sure I had whenever we stopped. Imagine you're a sack of potatoes in the back of a semi truck with a driver that takes the bumpiest back roads and slams the brakes as hard as possible at stop signs. Now imagine you can feel pain.

Eventually, the van stopped and the red-foots (red-feet?) got out. I heard the thunk of a gas nozzle being injected into a car, and the tinkle of a gas station store bell. Tinkle. That was one word I did NOT want to think about. I didn't think my kidnappers were concerned with my bathroom needs. Amid the gas station clamor, I heard the clanking of chains.

"What? Are they adding another victim to their caravan?" I thought, "There's only one set of wrist and ankle shackles."

The heavy door opened a bit, enough to see the head of another red-foot weirdo. He (or she, it might've been a she) lobbed a vending machine meal into the trunk. I picked it up and examined it in the dim light.

"Cottage cheese?" I thought, grimacing, "Yuck! It's from January!"

"Thanks." I growled, trying to give him (her) a menacing stare. The problem is, when you've got glittery green eyes like mine, it's hard to look menacing. In answer, I got the door slammed in my face and locked up again for another many hours. Next time, I was fed a granola bar and a bottle of milk that wasn't liquid.

Finally, the van pulled to a stop and the doors were once again unlocked and opened. I shrank back in fear and embarrassment as urine dribbled out of the trunk. I was unshackled and released from the chamber only to have handcuffs put around my wrists. I was forcibly marched into a large warehouse. Before I was shoved through the door of the building, I caught a glimpse of a passing cab. The license plate said New York.

My kidnappers hooked me to a manacled table that reminded me disturbingly of one of those laboratory tables that a mad scientist used to laser cut someone in half, or a medieval stretcher torture table. I shivered from the cold metal and fear.

"What do you want with me?!" I screamed in agony.

The red-foots were silent. Why did I even think they might respond? Many of the group filed out of the thick iron door. Two of them stayed. These two held long swords with little red feet on the handles.

"Katana." That all-knowing voice from the back of my head whispered.

"Guards" I thought, "As if I could escape."

For a long while nothing happened; I hung from my restraints and stared down my guard. There was 2,567 centimeter sized linoleum tiles on the half of the floor I could see. The front wall had 62 blocks on it, each consisting of between 554 and 557 multicolored specks. My manacles were hooked to the table by a pair of metal rungs (one for the arms, one for the legs) with 10 rivets each. The table had 14 rivets running down each side. Yeah, I was bored. Once I had counted the final stitch on the left sleeve of my shirt (There were 203), the metal door creaked open, and six more red-foots walked through, surrounding something. It was tall and spiky and metallic. It had two holes in it, one with a black dot ringed by brown on a white backing, one with a red dot ringed by white on a red backing. Wait….are those eyes?

"Hello, Tsarina." a voice said.

Oh my fricking God There's a person in there! That big metal thing is a big metal HIM!

"Did you enjoy the trip?" he asked.

My mind was telling me this was not the kind of person to be sarcastic with, but my mouth had different ideas.

"Yes, who wouldn't enjoy being locked in the back of a van with nothing to eat but rancid milk, granola bars, and a package of cottage cheese older than Stonehenge?" it said saucily.

I could've sworn I heard one of the red-foots chuckle.

"I don't like your tone," Mr. Metal Man said, "but no matter. You will learn not to talk back to the Shredder."

"You mean machines can talk?" I exclaimed in mock astonishment, "I'm going to have a serious talk with that coffee maker when I get home."

This sent the chuckling red-foot laughing hysterically. The Shredder did not seem to like this. He picked of the red-foot and clenched his hand around his neck. I cringed as I heard his collarbone snap. His limp body was tossed against the wall. I shrunk myself so small I could nearly fit my wrists through their chains when I heard his spine break. It was then I realized that I might not get home.

**So, what did you think? Feel free to tell me if it sucked. I'm open to constructive criticism. I'll get Chapter Three up ASAP. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Just warning you now, this chapter has lot of big words. Get your dictionary now.**

The horrid realization sank in. No matter how much I hated to even think it, my life was in the hands of this metal man who calls himself Shredder. He could do anything he wanted with me. For a second, I thought of the police, but I quickly dismissed this hope. Bullets and tasers would be no match against this man's dangerous spikes.

"What do you want with me?" I squeaked, sounding more like the frightened child I was than the fearless, saucy brat I was moments ago.

"Ah, little Tsarina, I forgot how naïve you are," The Shredder said, his superiority seeping off him like honey from a broken beehive. I imagined a sickly smile was under that steely mask. "but do not concern yourself with this. Just know you are to be of great help to me in finding the turtles." He said "turtles" as if it were a curse, a thing that humanity needed to be rid of, but he was the only one brave enough to do it.

Turtles?! Was this some kind of joke? I had been carted across two states in slave-like conditions for the hunting of TURTLES!

"Turtles?" I said, confused and angry, "What in the heck do turtles have to do with anything?"

"The turtles aren't anything," Shred head said, with a look in his eye so menacing it was idiotic, "they are EVERYTHING."

My bratty side then decided it needed to make its reappearance.

"Yay! I've been chained to a table by an insane man in a Halloween costume! This is the best day ever!" it exclaimed overly happily.

None of the red-foots laughed. Apparently, their friend had been a new guy.

"I do not like your tone, Tsarina." The Shredder growled, "If you are to be of help to me, I shall need you to cooperate. I have methods of dealing with sharp-tonguedness that just may work on you." He turned to the clan of red-foots and said most ominously, "You know what to do." The men(I'm sure they're all men) ran out of the room and returned quickly with-Gulp-whips.

Before I even knew what was happening, I had been unhooked, flipped over, and refastened to the table. I immediately regretted having worn a nice shirt to school.

"This is what happens to those who defy the Shredder." Tin Tin (You wouldn't believe how many nicknames I came up with for this guy) said, confirming my fears.

I didn't think these beasts would care to know this had been outlawed. I cowered in fear of the leather torture tool about to be used. A swish of wind echoed around as one of the red-foots rose his whip. An explosion of pain and agony ripped across my back as the leather collided with my skin through my shirt.

The torture pursued. After about the tenth whipping, the whip rose again. I braced myself for the pain, yet didn't feel a thing. A resounding clatter and snap reverberated through the air. I whimpered anyway; I couldn't help it. Through my teary eyes I looked down. I couldn't believe my blurry eyes. What I saw were broken chains. The whip has missed! My ankles were free! Suddenly, I heard another snap. My wrist chains had been broken, too!

"Shredsy really needs to get people with better aim," I thought, a sliver of a smile, "and laser surgery. How has he not noticed?"

But you know what they say: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Patiently I waited for the flogging to be over. The pain didn't even bother me.

Once the whips stopped, Metal Man said with a tinge of enjoyment in his voice " I hope you have realized your mistakes."

His clunky metal feet clomped across the floor, followed by the pitter-patter of sixteen red-foot feet. When I heard the iron door slam, I jumped off the table and got to work removing my ugly titanium bracelets.

Titanium. Why did it have to be titanium? No amount of yanking and tugging and banging and chewing would remove the bracelets. That was, until I found one of the whips curled steel caps one of the red-foot knuckleheads left in the room. With a ton of effort, I managed to pry the bracelets up and off my wrists and obliterate the ones on my ankles. When I got done, there was a set of large thick bangles that looked like something sold at a gothic jewelry store and a pair of dented silver bands that appeared to be the chew toys of rabid wolverines. I tossed the metal in the corner and cautiously tiptoed to the door. As I slipped by, I grabbed my possessions that I had on me when I was taken. They were hanging in a clear plastic bag. It contained my IPod, its charger, my ear buds, a little change purse with thirty dollars, and my favorite bracelet and headband set. They had a turtle shell pattern. I turned the knob, hoping that for some odd reason, it was unlocked. And it was! I couldn't believe my luck as the knob turned and the door screeched open. Incredible luck was on my side then. Undetected, I slid through the halls of the yucky warehouse.. Along the hallways were pictures of the metallic man who brought me here and some Japanese guy in robes with more red feet on them. He looked deathly familiar.

"Oroku Saki." That voice in my head called him with loathing and hatred.

There was one picture that really stood out. It was smashed and its caption plate scratched. The photo was of a woman and someone else, but half of it had been sliced off. The woman looked so deathly familiar it was like an identical twin seeing a picture of her sibling. Part of me knew who was on the cut out side as well. I could barely read the name. Though somehow, I knew it already.

That strange voice that lived in the back of my head said with sorrow and mourning, "Tang Shen."

Finally, after plenty of time spent wandering about lost and nearly getting caught peeking into rooms (I must be going insane. I could've sworn I saw a giant dog man.) I found the door that was conveniently labeled EXIT. I ran up to it, checked that there weren't any red-foots around, and opened the door. The second the door swung open, a blaring siren starting ringing and thing were being yelled in English and what I assumed was Japanese. Out of all that, the thing that most surprised me was that I could understand the Japanese! Even so, my luck had officially run out. I shouted a few words that would've got me a 2 hour detention and rushed out the door.

**So, once again, did you like it? I promise, next chapter, she'll meet the turtles. Also, I'd like to thank RandomNinja and awesomeness13tobuscus for your supportively funny reviews. Chapter 4 coming soon (probably in a few hours).**


	4. Chapter 4

**Beware. This chapter is long. Like five pages in Microsoft Word long.**

**I actually had to cut it short. So Chapter 5 is probably going to be incredibly short.**

I took off, sprinting past the big black van and onto the streets of New York. Running as fast as I could, I leapt to the sidewalk and nearly bowled over some elderly man. "Hooligan!" he shouted as I raced away. Glancing back, I saw the red-foots and The Iron Idiot jump into the van and spur it to life, skidding onto the road and after me. I ran faster. "I'm in New York, running for my life, being chased by a giant metal samurai dude!" I said to myself, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home…."

Soon, a crossroads appeared in the distance. Sprinting, I came up to the crossroads and made a hard right. I watched over my shoulder as the traffic light turned from yellow to red, and the barreling van was T-boned by some poor teenager in a blue Jeep Cherokee. To my horror, the Shredder emerged from the wreck unscathed and took off in my pursuit. The last thing I saw before I turned around again was the Jeep's bumper soaring through the air, with an "I 3 NYC" sticker on it. I, on the other hand, was beginning to hate it.

As I knew would happen, I began to tire. I swerved into a deserted street and saw my getaway. I jumped onto a tall, sturdy lamppost and clambered to the top. Lord Shreddington ran up to the lamppost's bottom and attempted to climb it, only to slip and crash into the ground. I had won, for now.

Tsarina

************************************************** ***********Donnie

Leo jumped onto the roof of the skyscraper, skidding to the edge. Raph slid up right beside him, with me right at his tail. Mikey soared through the air, screaming, and landed face-first on the chimney of the building, only to fall right back off. "Uggggggh." He moaned. I cringed; Leo blew through his teeth; Raph nearly fell off the building from laughing too hard. "You okay, Mikey?" I asked. Mikey jumped to his feet and shouted, "Alright! Let's do it again!" I smiled; As if anything short of an H-bomb could faze Mikey. 'We better get back to the lair," Leo said, "There's a Space Heroes marathon tonight." Everyone (except Leo) groaned unanimously. "What? It's a good show!" the blue-masked turtle exclaimed. Leo ran off, followed by Raph and Mikey. "Hey Raph! Wanna hear a joke?" Mikey asked. "No." Raph instantly retorted, not even bothering to turn his head. "Hey Leo! Wanna hear a joke?" "Not particularly." Leo said. "Hey Donnie! Wanna hear a joke?" No answer. The hyper orange turtle stopped. "Donnie?"

I perched on the edge of the building, letting the wind ruffle my purple bandanna's tails. I turned, watching the lights of the city blink on. A lamppost below me started to glow, but the light was partially blocked by something. What light did peek out hit a tall, shiny figure. "Is that who I think it is?" I said to no one. Yes, it was him, The Shredder, standing under a lamppost yelling at something. Or someone? I leaned closer. There was a girl on top of that lamp! I jumped to a closer roof. "Come down from there, you insolent little demon!" Shredder was shouting, "Or you shall regret it!" "Oh, I'M the demon, Shredsy?" the girl cried back. Sassing Shredder? This girl was insane! And who the heck is Shredsy?! "If I cannot get up there," the Shredder said ominously, "you're coming down."

At that, he slid a knife from his wrist and began to saw down the pole. "Man! The Shredder must be desperate!" I thought, "Who would he to those lengths to get? (Of course, besides us.)" The turtle watched in horror as the Shredder cut the wrought iron lamppost and it, and the girl, came crashing down. The girl took of running, the wise thing to do in that situation. She sprinted down the sidewalk and made a left into an alley a far ways down the street. "No no no no no no!" I shouted, following her on rooftops. I knew what fate awaited her. The girl ran down the alley and skidded to a stop in front of a tall wall. It was a dead end.

Donnie

Tsarina

A dead end. Something inside me knew this was coming. I backed against the wall, groping for something, anything, that might help me. My hand brushed something. I immediately snatched it up. It was a trash can lid, with a lead pipe wedged under the handle. With some tugging, I got the pipe out, but I snapped off the middle of the handle. I slid the pipe through my skirt's belt loops. It had some kind of knob on the end, so it stayed. Then I bent the handle halves around another belt loop so the lid would hook on. I then braced myself, one hand on my pipe, the other on my "shield", to fight for my life against the big, metallic menace known as Shredder.

Tsarina

Donnie

I was having a mental battle. "That poor girl is going to get mauled by Shredder! I've got to help her!" one side of me said, my compassionate, justified side. My more self-concerned side shouted back, "Are you crazy? That's Shredder down there! Not the Purple Dragons, not the Kraang, not the Foot, SHREDDER! Go down there and you'll get killed for sure! To go down there you'd have to be insane, crazy, psychotic, mad…." "I could qualify as a mad_ scientist_" the first side of me replied. "Good enough for me." I said aloud. Then I jumped off the safety of my skyscraper and plummeted to the ground below.

Donnie

Tsarina

The Shredder got closer and closer. "I have you now, Tsarina." He said. I saw an image of the devil smiling in my head. "You're coming with me." "Not if I can help it!" a voice above us shouted. A figure plummeted from somewhere in the air. It was….Oh my God It's a frickin' TURTLE!

Now I can see why Shreddaboo was so concerned about them. It was tall, it was deformed, it had a really long knife-stick of some sort (The mysterious voice from the back of my head called it a "bo.") it was….Kinda cute. "Donatello, how nice of you to drop in." Shredder said. It had a name?! And it was Donatello?! What kind of freaking name is that?! It's, like, ANCIENT! All sorts of thoughts starting running through my head, each getting weirder than the last. "Maybe it just looks young; it might be 3000 years old; it's probably a turtle monster; maybe its some kind of demon turtle; it could be a vampire turtle; wait, do turtles have teeth?; well this one does…." I had thought of so many different theories in the thirty seconds after Shreddybear had spoken. Then the freakazoid turtle said calmly, "I don't know what you want with this girl, Shredder, but you better leave her alone." The Shredder laughed; it as a deep, dark sound. "You do not know anything about this girl." He said, "How do you know she's not a demonic monster that I'm doing you the favor of getting rid of?" "Donatello" looked at me. I smiled nervously and shrank back against the wall. I gripped my pipe a little tighter. "Come on, she can't be any older than me!" he exclaimed. Well, that crosses out the 3000 years old thing. "And she's obviously scared to death." Got that right, turtle man. By then, I had officially crossed out the possibility of it being a monster, a demon, or a vampire, though it did have teeth. It even had a cute little gap between its top front ones. For some reason, it wanted to help me. Don't get me wrong, I sorely needed help. I just wasn't sure if I wanted it from "him".

"The girl is coming back with me, Donatello." Shredder said with a growl in his voice, "And if you do, too….Well, that's a bonus." At that, he rushed forward, sword-bracelets set to maximum overdrive. Turtle man started twirling his stick like an over-sized baton; I pulled out my pipe and hooked my lid around my palm. "Some advice: stay out of the way." 'Donatello' said to me. I replied, "Oh, trust me. I was going to."

**Another chapter done. My mom is starting to get ticked with me about how much time I'm spending on the computer. I'd better start learning to type faster.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally, we have come to the fight scene. It's Tsarina and Donnie versus Shredder! And who knows, maybe another turtle or two will join the action? ;)**

Shredder ran full on towards me. The turtle leapt in front of him and tried to whack him upside the head with his stick. The Shredder dodged this like it was nothing and kept on barreling in my direction. If Shredder was so concerned about the turtles, why did he want me more? "Donatello" seemed just as confused as I was. I held my shield up to my head and hefted my trusty pipe. Once again, "Donatello" dove in front of me and attacked Shredder. This time, his stick made contact. He drove one end of the stick into one of the Shredder's wrist guards and snapped off a blade. Shredder simply picked up the broken sword and sliced the turtle's staff in half longwise. The two wooden halves fell to the ground. The blade clattered to the side. "Well, I'm screwed." 'Donatello' said grimly. I tossed him a trash can lid and shouted, "Here! You may need this!"

Tsarina

Raph

"C'mere, Donnie Donnie Donnie!" Mikey called. "You do realize that's probably NOT going to help." I said, giving Mikey a classic 'I know more than you do' look. Leo leapt over both of the turtles' heads onto the next rooftop. "Stop fooling around!" he shouted "We should be finding Donnie!" "Explain to me again why we have to look for Techno-dork." I grumbled. Mikey added, "He knows his way home….I think." Leo sighed and put his hand over his face. "If Sensei finds out that we lost Donnie he's going to be angry." He explained, "And I for one do not want to face the wrath of Splinter." Suddenly, Mikey shouted, "Hey! Isn't that Donnie down there?" as he pointed into a wide alleyway. The turtles jumped closer. "And Shredder!" Leo shouted. "It's official. Donnie's lost it." I said. "We've got to help him!" Leo exclaimed, glaring at me as he jumped off the building's edge. "Oh great, Leo's lost it, too." I said. "BOOYAKASHA!" Mikey screamed as he jumped to the ground. I shouted, "Am I the only sane one here?" I sighed, and scrambled down the brick skyscraper.

Raph

Tsarina

I valiantly fought the Shredder (as valiantly as a scared little Russian girl can). "Donatello" slashed and smashed his trash can lid into Shredder's armor with incredible skill. I executed a double flip I learned in gymnastics and sailed over the Shredder and "Donatello's" heads. Bending my knees, I landed hard and didn't feel at thing. I resisted the urge to do a back flip. Partially because it'd be wasting time, and partially because I had landed in front of something. Three somethings. Three green somethings. Three tall green somethings. You know what I mean, right? If for some reason you don't (cough cough-idiot-cough cough), I mean there were three more freakazoid turtles standing behind me!

"Donatello! Your friends are here! I yelled to the turtle in purple. "Friends?" he shouted back in confusion, "I'm a mutant turtle! I don't have friends! I have brothers, a sensei, and a friend who's a girl who I saved from aliens!" "You mean your GIRL-FRIEND!" one of the new turtles (This one wore orange; Donnie had on purple) called over the din of "Donatello" and I shouting and the clash of metal on metal. "SHUT UP MIKEY!" "Donatello hollered. A turtle in blue retorted, "He speaks the truth, you know." To this, "Donatello" answered "BE QUIET LEO!" The last turtle, banded in red, asked with a sarcastic tone, "You need a little help there, Donnie?" "Donatello" paused long enough to give the red turtle a stare that plainly said "….Really?" "Yes, Raph," he said with an annoyed voice, "I could use a little help, in fact." "Their names are Leo, Mikey, and Raph yet you get pinned with Donatello?!" I exclaimed playfully, "I feel so bad for you!" "Raph" laughed and said, "I wish that were true, but I got stuck with Raphael." The blue turtle, the one called "Leo" added "Leonardo's my burden." "Michelangelo at your service!" the orange-masked turtle exclaimed. "Now that the introductions are over, can someone help me NOT GET KILLED?! "Donatello" yowled, and then yelped "OW!" as the Shredder gave him a cut on what I assumed was his forehead. The turtle trio sprinted toward Shredder. I tried to follow, but "Leonardo" picked me up by the shoulders and sat me on a trash can. "Stay here," he said, "and stay out of the fight." "I wish I had that option." I replied, watching as the Shredder beat "Donatello" to the side, swiftly dodged the other two, and start running toward me and the unsuspecting turtle.

I held my shield up with my right hand and my pipe in my left. Springing out of the turtle's grasp, I somersaulted into a standing position and swung at Shredder with my pipe as if it were a gymnastics ribbon. He batted it away and swiped at me with his wrist-blade, slicing my forehead in about the same spot where he hit "Donnie". "A lead pipe and a trash can lid." He said with an amused tone in his voice, "How pitiful. You should really know better, Tsarina." The Shredder swiped downward, giving me long cuts on both my shins and sending me painfully sprawling onto the cold cement. My arm nicked one of his spikes on the way down, resulting in a jagged scratch on my inner elbow that I was sure would scar. He towered over me with a mass of chains in his hands. I curled myself into a tiny ball and held my lid over me. With a laugh, Shredder swung a chin towards me and….everything suddenly went blue, then red, then blue again and a blaring siren filled the air. "The police!" I thought, "I guess they actually did help. A little bit." I was abruptly scooped up out of my thoughts and carried bridal-style by the turtle called "Donatello". "I WILL GET YOU TURTLES!" Shredmuffin's voice hollered, "AND THE LITTLE GIRL TOO!" Without meaning to, I leaned a little bit closer to Donnie and whimpered, getting my blood on his chest. He looked down and smiled at me before his brother lifted a manhole cover and we slid into the dark.

**So another chapter goes by. I'd probably make it longer, but my brother is bugging me to get on Minecraft. Splinter and April will show in Chapter 6. Make sure to visit my profile and vote for your favorite turtle in my poll! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I have to apologize. April actually isn't in this chapter like I said she would be. She'll probably come in the next chapter or the one after that.**

We dashed through the sewers, swinging right and left and left and right. Eventually, we came to a set of turnstiles, which the turtles cleared easily (Remember, I was being carried). "Home Sweet Home!" Mikey shouted, leaping onto a beanbag. I looked around in awe. The turtles had created a little home right UNDERNEATH New York! "Whoa." I said, "Cool!" "I know, right!" Mikey exclaimed. Donnie set me down on a couch and ran off somewhere. Leo snatched a TV remote (he had to fight Mikey for it) and flipped the channel to some show called "Space Heroes". "You guys have television down here?" I exclaimed in disbelief, "AWESOME!" "Are you kidding?" Mikey said, "Leo could never survive without his precious Space Heroes!" Glaring at Mikey, Leo hissed "Be quiet! It's starting!" Dramatic music played and a starship appeared on the screen, circling a planet that looked a lot like Jupiter. "I've got some Band-Aids, Tsarina." Donnie said, rushing back into view. Before you could say "Get your hands off me, you big turtle!" my head, legs, and arm had all been swathed in bandages. "You missed some." I said, thinking about how badly my shirt was probably stained. Donnie looked at me confused and asked, "Really? Where?" Trying not to fall on the floor and look like an idiot, I rolled over on the couch. "What the shell?!" he exclaimed, "The back of your shirt is soaked with blood!" I moaned. This was a new top. It was pale pink, with burgundy and peach curlicues spreading across the front. He peeled up the back of my blouse and gasped. "What happened, Tsarina?!" he cried. "Shredder." I said mournfully, "Shredder happened."

"H-he wh-whipped me." I stuttered, beginning to tear from the memory. "That monster!" Donnie shouted. "That's so mean!" Mikey cried. Raph (Where did he come from?!) grumbled a few unpleasant words on The Shredder's behalf. Leo turned around, looking confused. "What?" he asked. "The Shredder WHIPPED her." Raph growled. Once again, but angrily, Leo asked, "WHAT?!" Mikey said, "The Shredder whipped Z. Are you deaf or something?" Leo spat curses, falling into Japanese (Once again, I understood, though I really wish I didn't). "Possibly, but he's obviously not mute." Donnie said. "Wait," I said to Mikey, "Who's Z?" "Well, Tsarina's a bit of a mouthful…." "Said Michelangelo." I muttered. "….and I'm great at naming stuff…." At this point, Mikey stole a sword off Leo's back (The voice in my head insists on calling it a katana. Leo couldn't have cared less what happened; he was watching "Space Heroes" again) and tapped each of my shoulders with it. He continued, "….so I hereby dub thee Z." I laughed, "There isn't even a z in my name, Mikey." He frowned, looking as if he was going to start pretend crying. I'm ashamed to say I gave in. "Alright," I sighed, "Z it is." "Yay!" he shouted, looking the same as he had been a few minutes ago, "Group hug!" Mikey then proceeded to pick me up in a bear hug. That little dude may not look strong, but I'm telling you, he plucked me right off he couch as if I weighed nothing more than a feather-stuffed doll. "Careful, Mikey! You're gonna hurt her!" Donnie cried. Smiling, I reassured him, saying "I'll be fine, Donnie. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but hugs are always appreciated." An unfamiliar voice (to me, at least) said loudly (it didn't yell, it just said really loudly), "What is going on in here?"

All the turtles stood, or sat, in Leo's case, straight up, looking surprised, yet very scared. Mikey dropped me on the floor, and boy, did it hurt! "OW!" I shouted, much louder that I meant to. "See, Mikey, I told you you were going to hurt her!" Donnie exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this yelling?" the unidentified voice (The turtles seemed to know who it was, but nobody bothered to tell me!) asked. I scrambled onto the couch and peered over the back. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I'm not a cat, am I? All four turtles were lined up (I was surprised to see Leo had torn himself away from his show, but a quick look around told me he paused it.), looking very akin to soldiers before a general. Though this general was a rat. A six-foot rat in a red robe stood before the turtles, a stick in his hand made of what looked to be amber dyed green. Any other day I would have been freaked out by this rodent's size and humanoid feel, but my day had been just a little out of the ordinary. Then, I did an incredibly, enormously, amazingly stupid thing. I placed my hands on the couch's back and propped myself up against it, only to have the sofa tip over and send me lying on my back. One rat and four turtle faces entered my line of vision. "Once again, Tsarina Volkov has made an idiot of herself in front of her friends." I said, "And the crowd goes wild." Mikey chuckled; Raph snickered. I got a tooth-gapped grin from Donnie and a sympathetic smile and a hand up from Leo. "Who is your friend, Leonardo?" the rat asked. Leo said with faux modesty, "She's more of Donnie's friend than mine, Master Splinter." "Master Splinter" shifted his gaze to Donnie. "Donatello?" "Mikey did it!" he exclaimed what seemed to be reflexively. "Master Splinter" raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to Mikey. "Uh….Mikey is not here right now. Please leave a message after the beep." He said before running off. "Beep." I heard him say from another room. "Do you have any input, Raphael?" the rat asked the red-banded turtle. Raph replied with a shrug, twirling some type of mini-triton that my mental counterpart called a "sai" and said, "The chick's named Tsarina and that's about all I know." "Z!" Mikey shouted from his hiding place. "Ah. I see you are another victim of Michelangelo's nicknaming." "Master Splinter" said, his eyes fixing on me. "I excuse my sons' dreadful behavior." The three turtles still around received a glare. "Maybe you could shed some light on this situation for me, Miss Tsarina?"

I gave "Master Splinter" the rundown of what had happened since I got home from school the prior day. He listened patiently, though I'm pretty sure I heard him growl when I got to the part of the whippings. Hearing what had happened didn't make it feel any better; it might've possibly made it worse. After I had finished, "Master Splinter" rose (he'd been sitting cross-legged on the floor; so had I) and said "It seems like my old enemy has wronged you, Tsarina." "You're telling me." I muttered. He continued, saying, "The Shredder is not a force to be reckoned with. Until we find out what the Shredder desires you for, you should stay down here, with me and my sons." "Yes, Mr. Splinter, sir." I said with my best manners. Splinter smiled and said, "Splinter is just fine, Tsarina."

**Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to write. I ended up scrapping the first draft and redoing it. Also, Splinter is really hard person to write dialogue for. He has a special overly-sophisticated way of speaking. Chapter 7 might be a little delayed, too. But a delay for me is about half a day, so you probably won't have to wait THAT long. **


	7. Chapter 7

**There has been a change of plans. April probably won't appear in this story. If she does, she'll be playing a very minor part, likely a cameo, a part where she doesn't speak to the main character, or sometimes at all. For those of you looking forward to seeing April, I apologize, but she doesn't weave into the story well.**

I was chilling on the couch next to Leo, watching Space Heroes with him. Donnie was off somewhere doing something, though I kept hearing explosions and frustrated shouts. Mikey was laying on a beanbag messing with his phone (It's shaped like a turtle shell! So cool! Plus Donnie actually BUILT it!) Raph was feeding a little turtle, a normal one, that I learned was named Spike. A voice from somewhere above exclaimed "Pizza!" "I'LL GET IT!" Mikey shouted, dashing off excitedly. "I didn't know turtles like pizza." I said. "Like is the wrong word." Raph said, poking a leaf into Spike's little mouth, "It's more like love or worship or adore." I smiled, saying "Yeah, I know a few humans like that, too." "Though I do not believe many humans eat pizza like my sons do." Splinter said, smiling. "I HAVE PIZZA!" Mikey yelled, toting four pizza boxes. I could see steam rolling off them. My stomach growled a roar that would've scared Chewbacca and managed to startle Splinter (I could've sworn it was impossible.). "I heard 'pizza'!" Donnie exclaimed, walking into the room wearing charred safety goggles. "You'd think all the blasts would've made you deaf." Raph said, "I think I might be." Mikey dropped the boxes on a table and flipped them all open. "Do your thing, Leo!" he shouted. Leo grinned and slipped his swords (Oh, I'm sorry, katana, as the disembodied voice that has decided to take refuge in my mind is insisting I call them.) out of their holders. "On the count of three…." Donnie said, sliding his hands under a pizza. Mikey and Raph did the same. "Get the last one, Z!" Mikey exclaimed, jerking his head toward what looked to be a sausage-and-sardine pizza. I glided my hands underneath it. "Toss it." Raph mouthed to me. Donnie began counting, "1….2….3!" We flipped the pizzas into the air. A flurry of metal swished about them. As soon as I saw it it had vanished, and four sliced pizzas lay in their boxes. Leo glanced at me. Then I realized I'd been staring with my mouth open at him. I shut my mouth and smiled politely, saying in a sweet little girl voice, "That was so incredibly awesome I believe they should add a new word to the dictionary to describe its awesomeness." Everyone started laughing; I heard Splinter chuckling. "Alright, let's stop with the games." Donnie said breathlessly. "LET"S EAT!" Mikey shouted.

With a cautious eye, I examined the pizzas in front of me. There was the aforementioned sausage-and-sardines pizza, a raw meat one, a seaweed-covered one…."Don't worry, Z." Mikey said with a mouthful of pizza, "We got you a cheese one. Plus, Splinter likes cheese." "A rat liking cheese." I said, sarcastically smiling, "Now why doesn't that seem odd?" Splinter beamed at me before snatching another slice. "Hey, how do you know until you try it?" I said flippantly, grabbing a piece a seaweed-soaked piece and took a humongous bite out of it. Donnie looked at me as if I was insane and needed to be admitted into an asylum ASAP. I chewed carefully and swallowed. "It's pretty good." I said, "Reminds me of sushi." I ended up trying all of the pizzas, though I'm not sure how Raph keeps that raw meat one down. Leo's taste in topping was strange as well, but it actually ended up tasting great. Mikey I don't think had a favorite, or a least favorite, or any type of preference at all. All that seemed to matter to him was that it was pizza.

The rest of the day I spent hanging out with my newfound friends. I finished watching the Space Heroes marathon with Leo, watched Mikey nearly kill himself with nun chucks (that all-knowing voice called them nunchukus), helped Donnie not to blow himself up, and even got to feed Spike. After dinner (I ate leftover pizza; Dinner was algae and worms.) I was incredibly tired, but you never would've gotten me to admit it. So I felt very relieved when Donnie yawned and he and Leo decided to go to sleep. Splinter had retired to wherever his room was, and I had managed to sway Mikey into bed. The only ones left were Raph and I. I busied myself making a bed on the couch while Raph was over with Spike. Just as I had perfected the pillows on my makeshift divan bed, Raph sidled up beside me and leaned on the couch's back. "Might not want to do that." I said, not even lifting my eyes, "This thing seems to like to tip over. And if you ruin the little bed I've got here I might have to kill you." He looked at me with a little half-smile and asked, "Honestly, Z, what could you do?" In response, I thumped him in the forehead and hooked his feet out from under him. "That." Dusting himself off, he stood up and said angrily, "Look. I was going to ask you if you want to go topside, but you obviously don't want anything to do with ME so…." "What do you mean by 'go topside'?" I asked him, now actually turning to look at him. Raph seemed confused as he said, "Topside? Y'know, like where people live? Normal people? Like you? Humans? What isn't clear about this?" "Go to the surface?" I asked, "But Splinter said I should stay down here until we figure out what Shredder wants me for. Aren't you concerned he might come after me? Besides, I'm kind of tired." "No offense, but Splinter may be wise and all, but he's overcautious to the max. I'd call him a dried-up stick-in-the-mud, but he is my sensei and my dad." Raph said, "Besides, if Donnie can protect you from Shredder, I should be able to manage just fine. Plus, we'll be back before anyone wakes up, so you can catch some zs, Z." I chuckled at his bad pun. "So whaddya say, Z? Going alone is no fun."

I looked at him nervously. A part of me really wanted to go with him, but part of me didn't. One half of me saw Raph, his smiling face just daring me to say yes. Sadly for him, the other half of me saw Shredder's disturbed metal mask leering over me, praying I would accept Raph's offer and walk right into his metal hands. "Y'know what, Raph?" I said, fishing around in my coin purse in that plastic bag, "I'll flip a coin." I came out with a quarter and tossed it in the air. "Heads." He said, watching the coin intently. As it fell back down, I caught it and smacked it on the back of my hand. "The moment of truth." Raph said, leaning over my hand. I swallowed nervously and lifted my hand. It was heads.

"Knew it." Raph said with a confident grin, "Come on." He grabbed my wrist and led me over the turnstile and to a manhole. "You're sure about this, Raph?" I asked. I'll admit it; I was really scared and thinking about backing out. "You'll be fine, Z." he said reassuringly, "I would've made you come with me even if it was tails, anyway." And with that, he drew me through the manhole. The cover clattered behind us, sealing off any hope of backing out.

**Can't wait to start writing Chapter 8! Except it up by tomorrow.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8! For some reason, I'm thinking this one will be fun to write. Oh, by the way, have you been paying attention to the voice in Tsarina's head? If not, you might want to glean over the other chapters and note some of the things it says. It will become a MAJOR part of the fanfic later. Also, this chapter is the longest one yet. Anyway, on to the chapter! J**

Raph led me across the street and up the fire escape of a high-rise. "Why are we up here?" I asked shakily, peering over the edge. It was really far down, I couldn't see the ground, though part of that was the fact it was about midnight. "Stop worrying about it, Z." Raph said, swiping me away from the building's rim, "I have somewhere to show you." With that, he dashed across the rooftop. I rushed after him and yelled, "You still haven't told me why we're up here!" He replied over his shoulder, "This is how turtles travel!" He reached the roof's periphery and instead of stopping, ran right up to it and jumped the gap! I hit the brakes, skidding to a stop a little ways off the side. "What's wrong?" Raph said, stopping and turning around. "You want me to jump THAT?!" I exclaimed in horror, "Are you mad?" He looked at me funny. "C'mon! I've seen you do those crazy gymnast flips. This should be a cinch!" he exclaimed. "Those are on solid ground." I said, "This is in the air. This is betting with my life. If I fall I'm a goner." "Then you don't fall." Raph said matter-o-factly. "I don't know." I mumbled nervously. "Just try it. You'll sail right over it with meters to spare." Raph said reassuringly. I gulped and stepped backwards across the whole roof to be safe. Raph looked at me with a stare that said, "….Really?" I took off running and leapt over the gap, ending up landing about halfway across the next roof. "See? That wasn't so bad. You're a natural!" Raph said, "Now I can take you where I want to go, turtle style."

As the night went on, the roof jumping got easier and easier. Soon I started throwing in flips and twirls just for the heck of it. I pulled my iPod out of my pocket and hooked up my ear buds. Snapping my pocket shut (I don't think my Otterbox would save my iPod if I dropped it up here.), I slipped in my buds and picked my favorite song. I never even remembered I had been tired. All that concerned me was the wind whipping through my hair and out-flipping Raph (which I did with ease. My double front aerial is KILLER.) Just as I had landed a double layout full in, full out with a handspring on the end, my song hit the chorus. Loud and proud I sang:

"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?

If I'm alive and well will you be there a-holdin my hand?

I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might

Kryptonite"

I saw Raph's mouth moving but I couldn't hear and didn't care; I love this song. While singing, I soared over the last gap with a triple tuck and landed right next to Raph. He started talking again, but I ignored him; the chorus was coming up again. As soon as the chorus started, it suddenly stopped. I looked to the side to see Raph had pulled out my ear buds. "What the heck was that for?" I asked angrily. "Well….it might have been because you were TOTALLY IGNORING ME!" Raph exclaimed furiously, "Seriously, Z! Come on!" I heatedly retorted, "Sor-ry! Well, what is SO important that you just HAVE to tell me?!" "We are here." Raph growled.

He pointed to a high-rise that made every other high-rise look like a low-rise. "How do we in?" I asked Raph, having cooled down. "We don't get in it, Z." Raph said, looking at me with a smile that I'd discovered meant bad news, "We get ON it." Once again, I looked to the skyscraper. It looked as if it was actually touching the sky. A cloud split in half because it hit the building about five-sixths up. "Okay, smart-aleck," I snapped, "how do we get ON it?" "It's easy. We just jump onto that building, then to that one, hit the fire escape, climb up, and boom! We're on top of the ByerlyBuilding." "Why do you want me up there?" I asked precariously. In answer I got a bad-news smile and a, "You'll see." He took off, leaving me with no choice but to follow him. We leapt from building to building to fire escape, and up the escape we went. "Okay," I said, exasperated, when we were on top, "Now why have you brought me up here?!" Raph gave me a knowing smile and said, "Here. I'll show you." He took my wrist and escorted me around to the side of the building. He stopped, turned to me, and said, "Close your eyes." "What?! Why?!" I exclaimed. "Just do it." Raph said. "We're on top of one of New York City's tallest buildings and you want me to CLOSE MY EYES?!" Raph calmly answered, "Yes. Haven't you been hearing me?" I breathed out deeply. "Alright," I said, "I trust you." And with that, I shut my eyes and let Raph lead me to wherever we were going. He took me on a short walk and made me sit on a vent of some sort. "Okay." He said, "Open your eyes." And I did.

"Whoa." I breathed. Before me lay city lights as far as the eye could see. New York City spread out before me in a blaze of lights, neon, and electronic billboards. "It's gorgeous." I whispered. "I know, right." Raph said, "Donnie should take April up here. She'd fall for it in an instant." "How did you find this?" I asked softly. "I came up here once when I was ticked at Leo about something. I can't even remember what." Raph said, "Now I come whenever I need to blow off some steam." He leaned a little closer and cupped his hand (Like anyone can hear us. Like anyone would care, at that.) He whispered, "Never ever tell anyone this, especially the guys, but this is probably my favorite spot in all of New York. Maybe the world." I saw a white light flash amongst the others. "Yeah, well I think it might just now be mine, too." I said, smiling. Raph smiled at me, too. I unsnapped my pocket and pulled out my iPod. Holding it up, I snapped a picture of the city that never sleeps. "That is my new wallpaper." I said. I looked at Raph and a brilliant idea popped in my head. Before he could say anything, I shouted "Cheese!" and snapped a picture of Raph. "Actually, THAT might be my wallpaper." I said giggling. "Hey." Raph said, rubbing his eyes, "Not nice." We both started laughing, even though it wasn't really even funny.

Tsarina

Dogpound

I walked into the room of my master Shredder, kicking the big red fish Xever as I passed him by. I approached Master Shredder and knelt. "What is it, Bradford?" he said, making his question sound like a sentence. "One of our ninjas has spotted the girl you seek." I said. Master Shredder whipped around instantly. "Where?" he said. "She has been seen atop the ByerlyBuilding with one of the turtles, Raphael." I replied. "Take your finest combatants and bring me the girl." He ordered. "What of the turtle?" I asked. "Do what you wish with him. Kill him, bring him, let him go free, it does not matter." Master Shredder said, "Just bring me the girl." "As you wish, Master Shredder." I replied. I got up and walked to the exit. "Do not dare to return failed, Bradford." Master Shredder said. "Do not worry, Master." I growled, "I won't."

Dogpound

Tsarina

I had lost track of time sitting on the ByerlyBuilding with Raph, though I wasn't concerned. I was having a great time. We sat talking about anything and everything, from how annoying Mikey's pranks were to why my friend had nearly failed science. My iPod was playing every slow old rock song that I had. It was currently playing one of my personal favorites, "United" by Judas Priest. I sang along as the chorus started playing.

"United, united, united we stand

United we never shall fall

United, united, united we stand

United we stand one and all"

Raph said suddenly, "This song has a very good point." "Yeah." I said. Raph continued, "Mikey's not wrong when he wants to have human friends. I think we all do, but Mikey's the only one who doesn't really understand that we can't." "It must be horrible." I said solemnly. "What?" Raph asked. "Being so secluded." I said, "Your only friends being your brothers, your dad, and two girls you rescued." "Yeah, it sucks alright." Raph said, kicking a metal bit off the roof, "But at least we do have brothers and friends. We could be all alone, each of us by ourselves." He added on a lighter note, "Mikey did have a human friend once. For a little bit, at least. In the end, he wasn't very much of a friend, though." "How did that come about?" I asked. "Mikey online friended this guy named Chris Bradford," Raph said, "but he was one of Shredder's. Ended up capturing him and trying to attack us in the lair, he and his Brazilian buddy Xever." "What did you guys do?" I asked, thoroughly interested. Raph smiled and said, "We swept them away in a river of raw sewage." I smiled. "Though that was only the start of our troubles with Shredder." He said. "Is the Bradford guy still around?" I asked him. "Yeah," Raph said, "but he's not a 'guy' anymore. He ended up mutating himself and his friend into a giant dog and an oversized fish." "It's not nice to talk about people behind their back, you know." A deep growl said. Raph eyes widened to the point of green saucers. "We've got to go!" he shouted, taking my wrist again. I snatched up my iPod as we were going, accidentally hitting the "Artist" button. While I was being dragged off, I glanced over my shoulder. I saw the giant dog man and about fifty red-foots. Judas Priest's "Living after Midnight" started to play. "Yeah," I shouted, "RUN!"

We ran back the way we came at about twice the speed we came. I didn't even notice the sun starting to peek out between two high-rises. Over and over we leapt from roof to roof, though this time; there was nothing fun about it. I kept glancing over by shoulders and doing back flips, hoping to not see the dog man and his red-foot buddies. Every time, all I got was another image of that dog's evil smile. Then one time, he wasn't there. All that was left was about half of his red-foot crew. "He's gone, Raph." I said. "Oh, no he's not." Raph replied, "Keep running!" Suddenly, dog man and the other half of his red-foots appeared in front of us. I looked behind us, only to see the rest of the gang. "What'cha gonna do, turtle?" the dog man asked. Raph looked nervous, something I never would've expected to see from him. It seemed to be a Leo or Donnie thing. There was one gap between us and dog man. One more jump and we'd go flying right into his hands….paws...handpaws? Whatever! Out of the blue, Raph said stonily, "Don't jump." "What?!" I exclaimed, "Then the guys behind us will catch us." "I'm more likely to stand a chance against 25 of the Foot then 25 of the Foot plus Dogpound." He said bitterly. Oh, so that monster did have a name. "Trust me." Raph said. I came to the edge and slid to a stop. Raph stopped, wheeled around, and pulled out his mini-triton things (oh, sorry, SAI. That voice in my head can get really annoying.), twirling them like a pro, which I'm guessing he was. He lunged forward, taking out three red-foots with ease. With a few swipes and kicks, he had felled about a third of the group. "Go Raph!" I shouted, hopping up and down excitedly, "You can…." My cheers were cut short by a fuzzy yellow thing over my mouth. "Why don't we let him do that," Dogpound's growling voice hissed, "and you come with me."

I watched in horror as the remaining few from the first wave and the whole of the second wave tackled Raph. His sai came skittering over to my feet. Dogpound knelt to pick them up, but before he could, I snagged the weapons and stabbed the oversized dog in the eye. He yowled in pain, dropping me and staggering backwards, right off the building's edge. His screams made me feel kind of guilty, but I remembered Donnie mentioning something about mutants being stronger than humans and able to withstand more. I knew he was probably going to survive. I should've pushed him off instead.

Raph was pinned under the mass of "the Foot", as Raph called them. I wanted so badly to help, but didn't think I could do anything HELPFUL. Then, that voice from the back of my head kept nudging at the part of me that was, well, ME. It started making my fingers twitch and my eyes blink. "I think it wants to help him, too." I thought. "Yes, I do." It answered me. I jumped; it has answered me! There was, like, another person in my head! "Um….hi?" I thought. It replied, "Hello, Tsarina. May I come in?" "Aren't you already?" I asked it. It chuckled and said, "Bad phrasing. May I come into your bodily controls? Does that make a bit more sense?" "Kind of." I answered, "But why do you need in there?" "I can help your friend." It said, "But not without control." "What can you do?" I asked her (it sounded like a her; it would've been really disturbing if it was a him.), "Raph needs someone who knows what they're doing." "Trust me, Tsarina." It said, "I know my way around a pair of sai. You can trust me; I am part of you." "Yeah, that's what worries me." I said, "Now how do I let you take control?" "You already have." She said, "When you entrusted me, I gained access to parts of your mind I could not enter. Do not think, Tsarina. I shall do what needs done." I let my mind relax, as she said. I felt the voice take control of my body. I had become the voice in the back of her head, in my body. She got the hang of it quickly, hooking her fingers over the bars, twirling and swirling the sai nearly as good as Raph could. "Shall we do this, Tsarina?" she asked me. "Oh yeah!" I thought back, "Go for it!" She smiled through my body (it was quite disturbing. If I looked, I could see myself as I looked to other people, yet I could still feel what my body was doing) and said, "I certainly will."

She ran toward the crowd of Foot clan warriors. Sneaking up behind a pair, she smashed their heads together and took out four more with a swing and a stab. Two men got tossed into the air and kicked all the way to the next building. In mere moments, she had eliminated the remainder of the first group and one-fifth of the second. Ten of them got their butts kicked when she combined a sweet move with a flip or two she must have picked up from me. There were ten men left. I was starting to be able to see Raph again. Five of them charged me/her. She took them out with a few well-aimed kicks. The last five looked me/her over, and decided it wasn't worth it. They took off running like their pants were on fire. Raph got up and stared at me like I was from Pluto. "Was that sufficient, Tsarina?" she asked. I exclaimed, "Sufficient?! More like super kick-butt awesome! But would you mind if I had my body back? The whole 'voice in the back of your head' is your thing." She laughed and said, "Surely. I would have returned it anyway." I felt her presence recede as I got control of my body back. "Oh, by the way, do you have a name?" I asked her, "'Disembodied voice' is sort of generalist." She said giggling, "Call me Echo, the girl who withered away until her voice was all that remained, and I shall still be your 'disembodied voice'. My true name is for another time."

"That was AWESOME, Z!" Raph exclaimed, "How did you do it?!" "It wasn't me." I said, "At least, not really." Raph looked confused when he asked, "What does that mean, Z? I saw you fighting those Foot ninjas." I tried to explain, "I mean…. it wasn't me ….it was Echo….but it was my body….Oh, never mind!" Raph shrugged. "Oh well." He said, "But I'm gonna be curious for, like, EVER." I laughed. "Come on, we need to get back." I said, "I can see the sun." I pointed at the glowing disc skimming the high-rise horizon. "Oh, shoot!" Raph exclaimed, "We really DO need to get back." He scrambled down the fire escape and ushered me into the nearest manhole. I followed him as he rushed through the sewers, chatting as we ran along. "Did you see when I stabbed Dogpound in the eye?!" I asked excitedly. "I couldn't really. I had about twenty ninjas on top of me." He replied. "Oh yeah," I said, "Well, I stabbed Dogpound in the eye!" We both laughed as we bounded over the turnstiles. We were welcomed back by a return party of three ticked turtles, an angry rat, and a redhead girl who looked really annoyed. "Oh crap." Raph said, braking on the spot. I pulled out my iPod and checked the time for NYC. "Uh oh." I said. It said 7:00 a.m. We had left about midnight. I had no idea what Splinter would do about me, but I did know I was screwed. S-C-R-E-W-E-D screwed.

**I know it was a really long chapter, but I didn't want to stop. The songs she listens to are all old rock. The first one was Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down; the second one was United by Judas Priest. Third she mentioned Judas Priest's Living after Midnight. Below are links to videos of the songs. **

**Kryptonite**

** watch?v=Tpl6ncyxLGw**

**United**

** watch?v=-mPt3Zz_xLc**

**Living after Midnight**

** watch?v=3_2nEYw-P6k**


	9. Chapter 9

**See. I told you Echo was going to become a big part of the story. In the next few chapters she's going to become almost as significant as Tsarina. Pay attention to what she does.**

Raph stood frozen in shock at the lair's entrance. I slowly crept behind him. "Raphael," Splinter said with a bit of passive aggression, "Would you care to tell us where you and Miss Tsarina have been?" "Uh…." Raph mumbled, not having moved except to look at the ground. Curling up behind Raph, I prayed Splinter wouldn't acknowledge my existence. My prayers were crushed as Splinter started to ask something, "Tsarina….?" "He made me do it!" I shouted tensely from behind Raph. Raph sighed and groaned, "Alright. I took her topside and we ran into Dogpound and about fifty of his goons. I got pinned by like thirty Foot Clan ninjas and Dogpound got Z. But she took my sai and stabbed his eyes, then took out the rest of the guys like a pro. It was SWEET!" Blushing, I murmured, "It…. wasn't me…." "Why do you keep doing that, Z?!" Raph exclaimed, "I saw you fight those ninjas like they were nothing! Stop being modest!" "But it wasn't me!" I shouted, coming out from behind Raph, "It ….was …..Echo!" "Echo?" Donnie asked, "Who's Echo?" "I don't think there are many people around NYC named Echo." Leo said. Mikey laughed, "That's a funny name! Echo!" "Tsarina, who is this Echo?" Splinter asked me. I silently asked Echo, "Are you…. okay…. with them knowing?" "It will be fine," Echo replied, "though you really require sleep. Your speech shows it. Shall I tell the tale?" "Nah ….I got it." I said. To the best of my ability, I explained who Echo was and anything I knew about her. I ended up pausing a lot and being very repetitive. When I was done, Raph and Mikey started laughing loudly. "That's a good one, Z!" Raph exclaimed. Leo was trying his hardest not to laugh, and Donnie and the redhead were looking at me utterly confused. Splinter just shook his head. "Do not make fun of her!" Echo's voice shouted through me, "She speaks the truth!" Everyone stood still, staring at me. "I believe that was an 'oops' moment, Tsarina?" Echo asked me aloud. "Yeah." I answered her audibly, "Kind of."

Donnie was examining me like I was an alien. "Y-you mean….Two people….One body….subliminal persona…." He sputtered, trying to figure out what Echo could be. Splinter stepped closer and looked into my eyes. "You mean you have another inhabitant in your mind?" he asked me. "Yes," I answered him, "You….you just heard …. her." Leo asked, "How is that possible?" Raph looked at me with a gaze of horror. "You mean this whole time….I might not have even been talking to Z?" "No no!" I exclaimed, "It's nothing….like that! Most of the time….she just sits in….the back of my head….and tells me the name….of Japanese weapons….or translates….Japanese for me." Leo stared at me with a look of pure terror and shame and moaned, "That time with the bandages….and the whips….you understood that?" "Sadly." I replied. "Oh no!" he shouted, "I never meant for you to HEAR that!" "Why, Leonardo?" Splinter asked, looking at him over his shoulder, "What did you say?" Leo hid his face with his hands, but not before I saw probably the guiltiest look I had ever seen. I would've told Splinter, but a huge yawn stopped me. Once again, I was the center of attention. "When was the last time you got some sleep, Z?" Donnie asked me, wearing a concerned gaze. "A little over…. two days ago." I replied, a bit woozy, "Echo says….says that's why….why I keep….pausing." "48 hours without sleep!" he exclaimed, "That's incredibly unhealthy! And running around and fighting!" "Echo….did….most…. of….that." I mumbled, stepping toward the couch, but instead tripping. "You seriously need sleep!" Leo said. He plucked me off the ground and set me in a bed in what I assumed what his room. "There. Now get to sleep. I'll make sure NO ONE bothers you." he said smiling, "YOU HEAR THAT, MIKEY! NO MESSING WITH Z!" "You're no fun!' Mikey's voice replied from the main room. But I didn't hear it. I had fallen asleep while Leo was talking.

My dreams were incredibly vivid. Later I discovered that Echo had been projecting everything I would've seen or heard if I was awake. I loved it. I didn't miss a thing that happened. She showed me their training sessions, video game competitions, anything she heard or saw that she perceived relevant. One thing that struck me was how little she saw or heard Splinter. "There is something pent up within him." Echo whispered to me, "Once you wake, you should see to helping him with it." "I will." I replied. "Good," Echo said, "Because I am sensing that something he knows is something we should as well." "What would that be?" I asked her. "I do not know. But I sense it will be very important." She thought.

I woke to a turtle in a blue mask hovering over me. "Oh good." He said, "You're awake. Donnie was getting worried because you slept more than twelve hours. Mikey seems to be getting bored, too. It was all I could do to stop him from taking a busted up shaving cream can he found and giving you a beard." I said giggling, "I wouldn't have minded. Besides, Echo probably would've scared the heck out of him. Leo looked confused. "You mean she wasn't asleep too?" he asked. "Surprisingly, no." I said, "She kept talking to me and showing me what was going on." I laughed, getting out from the covers, "It was funny when you whipped Raph in stick hockey and he said he was going to sick Spike on you!" "Wow." Leo said, "She showed you that? Cool. I wish I could do that." "I bet you do." Echo thought with some kind of spirit-smile. I laughed out loud, causing Leo to look strangely at me. "Echo said something funny." I explained. "So how does that really work?" Leo asked, sitting next to me on the bed, "Having another person sharing your mind." "It's pretty cool." I replied, "You're never alone, even when you want to be." Echo chuckled. "You get the knowledge of two people, and you always have a second opinion." I continued, "I don't know TOO much about. Last night was really the first time I discovered Echo wasn't my conscious." "I've been meaning to ask about that." Leo said, "Did you give her the name Echo, or is it actually her name?" "She nicknamed herself it. She said her real name was 'for another time.'" I answered. Leo asked, "Can't you just get it from her mind like she would from yours?" I shrugged and said, "If she doesn't want me to know her name, I don't have to. Besides, it doesn't really concern me." Leo looked like he was about to say something, but just then Mikey burst into the room and shouted "Z! You're awake!" and gave me a bone-crushing bear hug. Donnie's head peeked into the room along with the little redhead Echo's observations told me was April. "Okay. You're not comatose." Donnie said, "This is a good sign." Echo and I giggled; she said, "That would be assumed, Donatello." April looked with deer-in-the-headlights eyes at me. She said "Did she really just…." "Yup." Donnie said, "Tsarina, April. April, Tsarina. Echo, April. April, Echo." I waved; "Greetings." Echo said. April smiled and backed out of view. "Am I really that scary, Tsarina?" Echo asked me aloud. "I'm probably not the one to ask that, Echo." I replied. "Donatello? Michelangelo? Leonardo? Am I frightening?" They unanimously answered "Yes." I chuckled as Echo spirit-blushed. Raph peeked in and said, "Sorry about last night, Z. I didn't realize…." "It's fine Raph." I interrupted. "Good." He said with a smile, "And thanks for saving me back there. With a little grin, I said "Don't thank me, thank Echo." "Um….thank you Echo?" "Was that a question or a gratituity?" she retorted saucily. Raph looked at me dumbstruck and said, "It's going to take a while to get used to that."

I spotted Splinter through the hallway. "Didn't you want me to do something with him?" I silently asked Echo. "Yes. He seems very solemn and sorrowful." She replied, "More than any man should have to be." I said flippantly, "He's a rat, Echo, not a man. Get it right." "Hush up, Tsarina." she retorted, trying to force me to stand, but only succeeding in rolling my ankles. Leo looked at me and asked, "Echo?" "Echo." I replied, standing up and walking out on my own accord. I peeked around the hallway's corner to see Splinter go into the dojo. "Ooh." I thought to Echo, "Somewhere I haven't been yet." I tiptoed over to the entrance and peeked in. April was fighting Splinter with what looked to be a fan. "Miwa's tessen." Echo whispered reminiscently, "But how…." Suddenly, Splinter knocked April's fan ("Tessen!" Echo exclaimed, "It is called a tessen!") out of her hand and it sailed toward me. Echo took over, catching the fan ("Geez! I'll call it a tessen, alright!" I retorted.) and flipping it between her hands. "Show off." I said aloud. "Sorry." She audibly replied, "It has been a while since I have seen a tessen, especially this one." April jogged over and said, "That was sweet, but may I have my tessen back?" "Of course." I said while Echo simultaneously said, "Certainly." April seems weirded out but Echo, unfazed, asked casually, "Where did you acquire that, child?" "Splinter gave it to me." She answered, "Why?" "I have seen that tessen before, a long long time ago." Echo answered evocatively, "I hoped to see in the hands of a young woman like you." "But not necessarily you in particular." She added silently. "What does that mean, Echo?" I asked her, but she remained stonily silent. Splinter said, "Where do you know this tessen from, Miss Echo?" I jumped; he must've crept over when I wasn't looking. Still Echo stayed quiet. "I don't think she wants to talk about it." I murmured. Splinter looked at me and asked, "Shall I tell you where I received this fan from?" Echo spirit-nodded; I said "She would like that." Splinter smiled and beckoned us to the table (us being me and Echo. April vanished at some point. Echo said she would make a great kunoichi if she kept doing that.) "I hoped you are not bored by long stories." Splinter said, sitting down. We shook our head. "Good." He said, smiling, "Raphael cannot even stand short ones."

**Chapter 9 is finished. YAY! I've been huddled in my cold basement for hours writing this. But compared to the 95 degree Ohio sun, I'm happy with cold toes. **

**In answer to beaniee's comment, there will not be a romance between Tsarina and a particular turtle, though she has a close relationship with Raph. Read it as a romance if you want; it's not intended to be. **


	10. Chapter 10

** I can't believe I've written ten chapters before I've even been on Fanfiction for two weeks. I'm going to quickly finish this story so I can get started on my next idea and write a story for Blizz, a character I adopted from my friend awesomeness13tobuscus. **

Splinter began to tell his tale. "I was not always like this." He said sorrowfully, "A deformed creature, having to hide from the world." "Deformed?" Echo whispered, "I think he looks pretty cute." "Echo thinks you're cute!" I exclaimed out loud. "Why, oh why, did you say that?" she thought. "I thought you said that to make him feel better." I mumbled. "Nope." She said crossly, "That was a personal comment meant only for my ears but that was hear by you because you now hear everything I say." Out loud, I muttered, "She also didn't want me to say that…." Splinter chuckled, saying, "Tell her thank you. Even if it is not true, it is appreciated." "He says thank you." I whispered to her. "I'm not deaf!" she snapped. "May I continue," Splinter asked, "or do you two need to time to sort thing out?" "Continue." Echo growled out my mouth, crossing my arms bitterly. "I seem to have angered the voice in my head." I said aloud, "Wow. That is one sentence I never expected to hear myself say." Though she was still angered, Echo spirit-smiled. "Shall I continue?" Splinter asked. "Yes." We said simultaneously, something we'd never done before. I softly smiled as Splinter carried on with his story.

"I was a human like you at one point, Tsarina. I lived in Japan and became friends with Oroku Saki, the man you have come to know as the Shredder. But the love of a woman came between us, a beauty by the name of Tang Shen." "No…." Echo whispered, distraught, "It can't be…." "She became my wife, and we had a daughter, Miwa. Saki insulted me in front of her. My temper bested me that day. After that, our friendship turned to rivalry and our rivalry to abhorrence. One day, Saki sought to end me." "No, please no…." Echo moaned. "He burned our home, killing my beloved Shen, and losing my darling Miwa." "This isn't happening…." Echo muttered, "I'm imagining this….That rat isn't who I think I is, right?" "I moved to America and purchased four baby turtles. I passed a man on the street that day. Something felt off about him, so I decided to follow. I passed through an alleyway and tread on a rat, catching the men's attention. They attacked me, and during our battle, a canister of ooze splattered on my turtles and I. The turtles became what you now know as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, and I was converted into the being I am now." "Ask him what his name was, Tsarina." Echo pleaded weakly, "Please." "Echo wishes to know what your name was, Splinter." I said calmly, wondering what had her so worried. Splinter answered, "My name is, or was, Hamato Yoshi."

"No!" Echo cried, "It can't be!" She began spirit-sobbing. I nearly fell over backwards from the force of her pain. "What is wrong, Tsarina?!" Splinter asked, worried. "It's Echo!" I exclaimed, "Something's wrong!" "What is it, Echo?!" I silently asked her, "What happened?!" "He can't be Yoshi; he can't be!" she moaned, "Oh, this is horrid!" "Calm down, Echo." I said, doing the mental equivalent of grabbing someone's shoulders and turning them to face you (that would be, if Echo has a shoulder or a face.) She whimpered a bit then spiritually looked me in the eye (which I'm not sure is possible considering she resides INSIDE my head.) "What does the name Yoshi mean to you?" I said. Echo whimpered a tad more, but I held her spirit-arms to her spirit-sides and turned her to me, saying more firmly, "What does the name Hamato Yoshi mean to you, Echo?" Gathering herself, she said, "It means a lot to me." "Why?" I asked, releasing her arms (that I'm not even sure she had. When I looked at her, she appeared to be the outline of a woman, with waist-length hair tinted black, brown colored eyes, and a white dress with a robe-like quality to it.) She sighed and said slowly, "Do you remember when you first spoke to me and me to you, and how I told you my true name was 'for another time?" I nodded, confusing Splinter, another thing I thought impossible. "I believe the time is now." Echo said. A long awkwardly dramatic silence ensued, one of those ones that feel even more awkward to break. I rolled my wrists, gesturing with my hands to continue and again befuddling Splinter (Befuddling. Such a fun word.) Echo said, "My name is, or was, Tang Shen."

"Tang Shen?!" I exclaimed, "Like, THE Tang Shen?! That Tang Shen?!" "How common of a name do you think Tang Shen is?" Echo/Shen asked me with a laughing tone. "But but….YOU were Splinter's WIFE?! That explains why you thought he was cute, Echo." She spirit-blushed and mumbled, "Well, he is…." "Speaking of that," I asked her, "Shall I call you Echo, Shen, Tang, what?" "You may call me whatever you want, Tsarina. Shen or Echo is fine." She said. "I'm probably gonna keep calling you Echo." I replied, "It's become a habit." Echo spirit-smiled and declared, "Echo I was, and Echo I shall be until the end of time." "Or until I start calling you Shen." I added. A little spirit-grin appeared on Echo's face, but it was quickly covered with a serious expression. She said very staidly, "You should tell Splinter." "He'll never believe me." I said. "I will intercept if needed." She answered, "Just do so, Tsarina." I sighed aloud, causing Splinter to throw me a look of concern. "Are you alright?" he asked. I nodded. "Is Echo?" I hesitated, but with prompting from Echo, nodded. Splinter set his hand on my shoulder and asked, looking into my eyes, "Is there something she needs to tell me/" "How did he figure that out?!" I wondered. "He was always spiritually sensitive." Echo stated, "I am surprised he has not traced my origins. He must not be looking down that path." "Yeah, she does." I said audibly, "She wants to tell you her real name." Splinter stood up and removed his hand from me. I was about to say it, when Echo hurriedly said, "It is Tang Shen!" before drawing herself into the far recesses of my mind. Splinter looked at me as if I had been poised to shoot him with a Nerf gun and it had fired a real bullet. "I think I have broken Splinter." Echo whispered.

For quite a while, Splinter said nothing. He sat down on a bar stool and se his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. "I think you really struck a nerve, Echo." I muttered "It appears I have." She softly replied. For some reason, we spoke softly; even though we knew no one could hear us even if we screamed. Finally, Echo broke the silence, murmuring, "Yoshi…." Splinter looked up and smiled weakly, saying, "I would hug you but I don't believe Tsarina would appreciate that." "Hey. Go for it." I said, "I'll just hide back where Tang Shen usually is." With that, I gave Echo total control, hiding in the back of my mind, watching the action, prepared to duck and cover if things got intimate. But Splinter did not even move; I don't think I even saw him blink! Echo (for all intents and purposes, let's call her Shen.) made the first move, walking to Splinter and hugging him. He was cautious at first, probably worried about me, but eventually he gave in, holding her close. I separated myself from my senses and said to Shen, "Go crazy, but remember, I'm only thirteen." She spirit-smiled (which, since she was in control, actually showed) and said, "Thank you, Tsarina. You do not know how much this means to me." I replied with a grin (which was now a spirit-grin. Confused? You'd get used to it.) And said, "Trust me, Shen. I think I do." I saw her beam again before I slipped off to play with the other abilities Shen has as a spirit/disembodied voice.

Before then, I never realized the powers Shen had at her disposal. She could hear, see, or even partially enter the mind of anyone she chose, plus speak or appear in her form I saw her in all the time before them. I didn't know how she would ever make use of that, but it sure was cool to be able to spy on the turtles and they not even have the clue. I tried with that April chick, but she noticed me and wigged out, running to Donnie about specters in the sewers. She must have a spirit-attuned mind like Splinter does. I caught Raph talking to Spike (he was acting strangely, like he was hearing things.), Donnie fawning over a centrifuge, Leo watching Space Heroes (surprise, surprise), and Mikey skateboarding all over the lair. He got me real ticked when he nearly ran over Splinter and Shen and jumped over their heads. That was, before he slammed into the wall and ended up laying on the ground moaning. Everyone rushed over. "Are you okay, Mikey?" Donnie asked. "Whoa…." Mikey said, slightly starry-eyed, "I must've hit my head pretty hard. I could've sworn I saw Z kiss Master Splinter on the cheek." Shen got stared down. Splinter hovered behind her protectively, glancing up in my general direction. "What'cha looking at, Sensei?" Raph asked. "Ack! My cover's been blown!" I thought, apparently loud enough for Splinter to hear, because he smiled sympathetically. Raph appeared to have heard me, too, for he stared in fear at my general vicinity. "Are you smiling at air?" Leo asked. Donnie suddenly exclaimed, "Would someone PLEASE care to explain what is going on here?!" He became the center of attention. He ranted on, saying, "April thinks she saw a ghost, Raph was hearing voices…." "That must've been me!" I thought "Raph must have that ability partially!" "There it is again!" Raph shouted, "It's so CREEPY!" "Relax, Raphael, Donatello." Splinter said, "It is merely Tsarina." Raph stared at me (my body, not Me.) and said, "But Z didn't say anything. She's been standing right there." "Echo is occupying Tsarina's body currently." "Greetings and salutations." Echo said, bowing like a midcentury knight. "But, if Echo's in there…." Mikey said, "Where's Z?" "Over here." I called out for them all to hear, walking out of thin air in appearing as a misty form of me. My body (which was now Echo) acquired a shadowy haze for a moment, before its appearance changed to look something like a thirteen year old version of Tang Shen. Everyone but Leo had turned toward me staring in awe (Raph and Mikey), calmness (Splinter and Echo), or utter confusion (Donnie and April). Leo was focused on Echo. He said, "Z? Why does your body look like that?" "She kinda looks like that girl from that old photo Splinter has." Mikey added. Splinter half-smiled, saying "That might be because she is, Michelangelo."

Raph's jaw dropped so far I swear I would've hit the floor; Mikey froze in utter astonishment; Donnie fainted, only to be caught by April. Leo remained calm, tapping his chin like he was thinking and occasionally drawing lines in the air with his finger. "Ohhh." He finally said, "I get it." Donnie, having been awoken, stared at Leo and asked, "What have you 'got?"' "I get the whole shadow-body Tsarina-Shen spirit thing." He stated, "Tsarina must be a reincarnation of Tang Shen who as probably fated to meet us." "If reincarnation was possible," Donnie said, "That would be a likely answer, but all sciences point to the incredible impossibility of it." I strolled up to Donnie, flicking my ghost-hair over my shoulder. "Then what do sciences say about this?" I asked, before swiping his legs out from under him, making him fall. "Sciences may not have much to say about that…." He said, "But I say 'OW!"' I giggled a happily haunting sound. I was struck with the realization that I was very lucky to have a kind soul to share my body with. "Hey Echo!" I exclaimed, "Can I come back in?" "The door is open." She said, switching places with me. Now she appeared as a shadow of what she ha once been, a pretty petite woman with long black hair and brown eyes. Immediately, she floated next to Splinter and sat on the table's edge. I hopped next to her. She ruffled my hair and turned to the turtles saying in a very serious tone for her, "You know who I am, but what I want to know is how I can help." "With what?" Donnie asked. Shen smiled a half mischievous, half mysterious smile and said "Not what. Who." Mikey stared at her dumbfounded. "Saki." She stated. He continued to look confused. "The Shredder." She sighed. "OOOHHH. Mikey said. Shen faked a coughing spurt, poorly disguising the word "idiot". I smiled; she got that from me."

**Who guessed Echo was Tang Shen? I'll bet no one did! If you did, keep it to yourself. Don't burst my bubble; it's very fragile.**


	11. Chapter 11

**The last chapter is here. Beware, it's incredibly long. But do not think this is over. I have an alternative ending for this story coming after this chapter.**

You're a spirit." Leo stated, "What can you do to help fight Shredder?"

"Maybe she can get into his mind and make him like us!" Mikey exclaimed, "See. Brilliance."

"I don't think she can get into Shredder's head, Mikey." Raph said.

"Actually, I could." Shen said, "But he would only like you for the period of time I had control of his mind; he would force me out eventually if he did not want me in there."

"Yeah, I'm guessing he WOULD'NT." Donnie said, over-emphasizing the last word.

"We do not know that." Splinter said, "He may very well try to entrap her."

"Do not fret over that." Shen said happily, "If I do not desire to be there, I can remove myself easily."

"You must've really liked me to stay in my mind for thirteen years." I said with a smile.

"That and I could not leave until you trusted me as you did one night ago." She said beaming.

"I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that you were living in my head my whole life." I added.

"There is no possible way this could've happened." Donnie said, "It just doesn't work out!"

"Science has nothing to do with this, Donatello." Shen said, "Besides, aren't you happy to see me?" I smiled as her sophisticated speech slipped into something more like mine.

"I'm very happy to have met you." he said, grinning a classic Donnie gap-toothed grin.

"Me too." Leo and Raph simultaneously, glaring at each other.

Shen turned to Mikey and asked, "What do you say, Michelangelo?"

Mikey beamed from ear to ear (if mutant turtles have ears) and exclaimed, "I say, 'GROUP HUG!'" and tried to implement it.

He attacked Tang Shen, only to barrel straight through her, making her giggle profusely and exclaim, "Please stop! That tickles dreadfully!"

"Wait." Donnie said, "Why'd Mikey pass through you but Z could trip me?"

"Tsarina attacked you, so she made contact." Shen explained, "Mikey scared me, making me use transparency as a defense mechanism."

"You mean I can hug you NOW?" Mikey asked.

Shen drifted over and gave Mikey a good squeeze. "Yes." She said, "You can."

"Yay! Hugs for everyone!" he shouted, bear hugging Tang Shen like he does me. She giggled, and then floated over to each in turn, hugging Leo and Donnie and April and I, and tackling Raph long enough to get a hug out of him. She perched on an invisible seat above me.

"Back to business." She said, "How I'm going to get vengeance on that demon Saki."

We plotted and schemed for what seemed like days, trying to come up with a plan to deter, or at worst, kill Shredder. I came up with so many strategies and stratagems I started seeing in blueprints. After what seemed like eternities, we formulated a plan. We would wait until night fell and send Tang Shen to "haunt" Shredder. She'd be wearing this camera necklace Donnie made (he can make anything!) so we can watch the fun. And if that doesn't freak Shredder out….well, we didn't get that far. When it hit midnight, I crept out of the sewers (Apparently, Tang Shen can't go much farther than a mile away from me without complications.) and slithered to where the turtles told me Shredder's hideout was. "Go get em, tiger." I whispered to Shen as she slid right through the locked doors.

"A tiger is what I feel like now…." Shen said, "Excited and ready to pounce!" I smiled and clambered over some trash cans to my hiding spot on the roof. My eyes drifted to the lid, making me grin at the memory of me duking it out with Shredder with one of these. I knew it had only been two days ago, but it felt like a long time with how much had happened. Using the inter-stellar spirit connection I had with Shen, I watched her pass right through door after door checking to see if Shredder was there. She hissed when she slinked into the room where I had been held captive. Quickly, she swerved out and checked room after room with an extra ferocity. Eventually, she flew into the throne room of Shredder. I won't tell you what she said, because then you would probably be grounded for months for reading something with those words. I knew my cue; I scrambled across the roof so I was above Shen and activated this souped-up special effect from Donnie on my iPod. Fake lightning crackled all around the inside of the room. Shredsy said something in Japanese, but without Shen to translate, I was clueless to what. I hit the big yellow button on my screen. A big thick lightning bolt flashed in front of Shen, and she showed herself, making her silhouette appear eerily on the bolt. Shreddles leaned forward, gazing at the shadow.

"Shen?" he asked, his voice sounding less evil and growly than usual.

Shen snarled deviously, "Saki."

I ended the lightning strike, and there she stood, staring down Shredder with her ghostly cocoa eyes.

"Tang Shen." Shredder whispered (which sounded super weird), "It is you."

"It is I, Saki." Shen said in a commanding voice, "Here to haunt you from the grave." With that, she used some spirit-power to whip up a shadowy demon creature that I realized was an impish kitsune. It gave a little fox-bay and dashed toward Shredder.

"She's doing a way better job than I expected." I thought. I heard the boys' cheering through the communicator Donnie hooked me up with. I could even hear Splinter getting excited. The kitsune plowed into Shredder, snapping the chair off his little throne. I shouted happily, hopping up and down on the roof as I watched Shen through the skylight. Skylight? Uh-oh.

The glass before me shattered, and I drew my head back from the edge. Unfortunately, Shredder had already caught me. "TSARINA VOLKOV!" he bellowed. I decided there was no point in hiding up there anymore, so I impersonated my favorite Marvel hero and scrambled across the ceiling and half-climbed, half-fell down the wall. Spidey would've been ashamed. "So, the spirit girl joins us." Shredder said, picking himself up off the ground.

"How….?" I wondered aloud.

"That intelligent buffoon Baxter Stockman detected an incredible amount of spirit readings from you, even from here." Shreddybear said, "You would've been the perfect tool to manipulate Yoshi with, with his accursed ability to sense the universe's vibrations and nonsense. But you…." He turned from me to Shen. "You will work even more nicely."

I heard Splinter growl through the walkie-talkie device. Shen must've heard it, too, for she set her teeth on edge. "You will never catch me, Saki." She said, "You killed me. Maybe now it is my turn?" She snapped, calling her fox friend with the nonet of tails. It hopped over and barked as menacingly as a cute nine-tailed shadow fox could at Shredsy. He swiped at it with his arm blade, only to have it separate and reform. "That won't work this time." Shen said with a devious smile. Shredder actually appeared a bit nervous as he asked slightly shakily,

"What is it that you want with me?"

"The same thing I'm sure Miss Tsarina here desires…." Shen said, placing one of her hands on my shoulder, "Vengeance." With that, the shadow kitsune struck, clawing and biting and yapping at Shredder with full force. Somehow, its shadow fangs and claws penetrated Shreddles metallic armor, slashing big gaping holes in his chest plate and wrist guards.

It had pinned him to the ground, gnashing its teeth as if it were going in for the kill, when Shredder said "I do not believe you want to do that."

Shen called off the kitsune and asked, "Why not?"

"BRADFORD! XEVER! Bring out our prisoner!" he shouted. Out of nowhere, Dogpound and a giant red fish thing with robot legs came toting a tall wheeled device with a curtain over it. "Reveal our prisoner to these fine young ladies." He said.

Dogpound grinned devilishly and growled, "Certainly." He and his friend yanked the curtain off the device, which ended up being a portable version of the table I'd once been hooked to. A woman with thick brown hair and zinging blue eyes with duct tape over her mouth was hanging from the manacles. Mom?!

"Yes…" Shredder said, "We thought if we brought in your mother dearest, you would realize that we mean business."

"Leave her out of this, Shredder!" I said, feeling brave, "You want me? Come get me!"

"Do not act rashly, Tsarina." Shen said, pushing me behind her.

"How easy it would be to just stroll over there and snatch you up." Shredder said, "But then you would run off again to your little reptilian friends. I need to ensure that you shall stay here. Your spirituality is no use to me underground with Yoshi and his sons."

"What do I have to do?" I asked.

Just that moment, an African American man burst through the doors holding a laptop in his hands and shouting "Master Shredder! Master Shredder! I've found something!"

"Not now, Stockman." Shredder hissed, "I have matters to deal with."

"But it involves that little girl you're so concerned about." Stockman exclaimed. The Shredder immediately turned his attention to the man. Shen and I turned to him as well.

"What have you found?" the Shredder asked in sentence form.

"That little girl with the Russian name…." he said, "Isn't Russian. She's half-Japanese, half-Chinese, and adopted."

"Wha…." I droned confused, looking to my mother, or who I thought was my mother, hanging in her chains. She hid her eyes sheepishly and nodded. I gasped and turned to the man named Stockman. "What else do you know?" I growled threateningly. Stockman sputtered,

"I-I found her adoption certificate. It's right here." He pulled up a photograph of an old yellowed document. There were two lines with loopy writing on them. The bottom line said "Adoptive Name" next to it in type. "Tsarina Eloise Volkov" was scrawled on the line next to it in my mom's handwriting. Above it, another line with the words "Birth Name" to its left was drawn on the paper. Two empty square graphics were printed on the line. Next to it, in the same loopy writing was the name "Hamato Miwa"

"Miwa…." Shen whispered. My mom had begun crying, hiding her head behind her hair like I do.

Shredder looked to Shen and me. "Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Now you shall be perfect bait for Yoshi and his disciples, those wretched turtles." He called to the fish man and Dogpound, "Do away with the woman. She is of no use to me." I felt lied to and deceived, but still I cried out as they rolled away the woman who I had thought was my mother on her table.

I tried to run after her, but Tang Shen held me back, silently whispering, "Do not pursue them. They will only be aggravated by your efforts." I stopped resisting, but Shen didn't let me go.

"Now…." Shredder said, "To call in the person I have been waiting for. Hamato Yoshi."

Something compelled me to look up. The faces of one mutant rat and four mutant turtles peered through the hole left by the broken skylight. With a smile, I said to the Shredder, "I don't think any calling will be needed, Shreddaboo."

The turtles and Splinter leapt through the skylight landing, or crashing in Mikey's case, on the floor below. "Ah, the turtles have decided to join us." Shredder said, "But who is your friend?"

Splinter smiled mischievously and said, "You do not recognize me, Saki?"

With a disgruntled gasp, Shredder hissed, "Hamato Yoshi. In your true form, I see. A dirty rat."

Shen floated over to Splinter and sat herself on his shoulder. For a moment I wondered how Splinter stayed balanced with the extra weight, until it dawned on me that she weighed no more than air. "Could a dirty rat enchant me so, Saki?" Shen said, tickling Splinter's chin.

"Aw, gross!" Mikey said, ducking behind his arm. The other turtles had all turned away as well.

I giggled and said, "I think it's sweet."

"Well, apparently Michelangelo doesn't." Splinter said.

"Uh, NO." Mikey said, his arm still over his eyes, "I'd rather be battling Shredder."

"Your wish is my command, turtle." Shredder growled, taking off towards Mikey.

"Oh God I didn't mean that LITERALLY!" Mikey screamed, running. I watched as the other turtles, Splinter, and Shen geared up for a battle. Donnie whipped his Bo around, flicking the knife blade in and out. Leo pulled out his katana, whirling them around in a show-off fashion. Raph slid his sai out of his belt, dragging the middle prongs on the ground so they made sparks. Splinter held his green-amber cane like Donnie does his staff, looking a lot less like an old rat. Shen conjured her kitsune; it snapped and snarled and tugged at its invisible reins, begging for another go at Shredder.

I stood where I was, no weapon to wield, hoping Shredder wouldn't target me. Then a brilliant idea struck me like one of my faux lighting bolts. "BRB!" I exclaimed, scrambling up the seven-foot shadow kitsune and out the skylight. I jumped off the side and landed with a gymnastics flip. I looked around until I found what I needed. Scampering over to it, I stole the lid off a trash can and snatched a broken pipe lying at the building's side. "Let's do this." I said with a smile before scrabbling up the side of the building and leaping back into the fray.

Shredder was in deep. Like, you have to tilt your head horizontally just to be able to breathe deep. The shadow kitsune barreled him over and sent him sprawling into the perfect position for Donnie to whack him upside the head with his staff. He then skittered to Mikey, who slammed him with his nunchukus, who then shot him to Splinter, who rammed him to Leo….It was a perfect team effort. Everyone was in a circle, passing Shredder back and forth like a ball, and having a ton of fun doing it. Mikey looked over his shoulder and called, "Hey, Z! Come join the fun!" I smiled and scampered over between him and Raph. Raph kindly smacked Shredder my way, and I swung at him with my pipe and sent him soaring over to Shen's kitsune and into the wall.

Shredder sat up, dazed, and looked up to see Splinter clapping his green-amber cane in his hand threateningly. "Surrender, Saki." He said. We flocked behind him in a horseshoe shape. There was no way Shredder could get out of this one. So I thought. Shredder's little wrist blade slid out as he clenched his fist. He slid off his mask, showing a deformed face.

"Yuck!" Leo shouted.

"Gross!" Raph screamed.

"Eww eww eww eww EWW!" Mikey exclaimed.

Donnie hid his face and said, "That is so disgusting I'll have to make a new adjective to describe it."

Even Shen and Splinter glanced away.

I stared Shredder straight on. "Hmph." I said, "It seems your outside is as disgusting as your insides."

Splinter turned back to Shredder and growled, "Surrender."

"Surrender?" Shredder said, "Never." With that, he swung his wrist, and before anyone could stop him, he had lopped his head off.

We left the building as soon as Leo told Karai what had happened. She took it surprisingly well. Y'know, for your father having just committed suicide and his archenemy came to tell you. Everybody headed back to the lair, but I took Shen and ran off. I had to do something.

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Epilogue

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From then on, I lived with my newly found brothers: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, plus my parents, Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen. I went to RooseveltMiddle School, and walked back to the lair with April every day. Splinter started training me like he did April and the turtles. My background in gymnastics helped a lot, and some of Shen's skills had rubbed off on me. April asked me nearly every day if I wanted my tessen back, but I told her she'd make more use of it than I would. I had my own weapon, my trusty moroha. Moroha are a type of tanto; they resemble long daggers or short swords. I went on and am going to go on every mission the turtles did or do. You should've seen how happy they were when I sliced the head of my first Kraang droid. Oh, you want to know what I did on that first night. Oh, okay. That night, I ran to the NYC courthouse, Shen tailing behind me. With a signed note from my parent (who just happened to be standing behind me), I officially started my new life by changing my name from "Tsarina Eloise Volkov" to "Tsarina Miwa Volkov-Hamato". That was the best day EVER.

**Now Tsarina's first tale is done, but her story's not over. I am writing a special alternative ending to this story, plus possibly a sequel. Check back to Chapter Four and find the spot where Shredder tries to convince Donnie that Tsarina is a lunatic. What if she as? What COULD have happened? Inspired by reviews from awesomeness13tobuscus. Also, for anyone who's curious, this link leads to a picture of tanto, Tsarina's weapon. **

wiki/File:Tanto_


	12. Sequel Notice

For any who don't know, the sequel to this is called Tsarina Volkov: Turtle in Training, and is a current work-in-progress. Thank you to all you turtle fans out there who read this story. 1,057 and counting! It may be dismal to you, but I appreciate every single view, even if you just accidentally click on it. Love you all.

Dragonblooded


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